OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interobserver variability of ultrasound in the measurement of subcutaneous, visceral and perirenal fat through standard technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2006 to January 2007, 50 patients were evaluated. The subcutaneous fat thickness was measured with a 7.5 MHz linear transducer transversely positioned 1 cm above the umbilical scar. For the visceral fat, a 3.5 MHz transducer was also positioned 1 cm above the umbilical scar, considering the distance between the internal surface of the abdominal rectus muscle and the posterior aortic wall in the abdominal midline. The perirenal fat was measured in the middle third of the right kidney, with the transducer positioned at the axillary midline. RESULTS: The t-Student test was utilized to analyze the interobserver reproducibility with significance level of 95%. No statistically significant difference was observed among mean values for subcutaneous, visceral and perirenal fat (p = 0.7141, 0.7286 and 0.6368, respectively). Mean and standard deviation corresponded to 2.64 ± 1.37 for subcutaneous thickness, 6.84 ± 2.38 for visceral fat, and 4.89 ± 2.6 for perirenal fat. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound presented a good interobserver reproducibility in the evaluation of abdominal fat based on measurement of subcutaneous, visceral and perirenal fat as parameters.

Keywords: Abdominal fat, Ultrasound, Metabolic syndrome

Elongated styloid process or Eagle's syndrome is a multifactorial disease with unspecific characteristics on clinical and imaging examinations. The use of imaging methods in combination with the signs and symptoms are valuable in the confirmation of the diagnosis since they show the extension of the styloid complex, the muscles and ligaments, and adjacent structures. The diagnosis can be established when there is an association of clinical information and imaging findings. The authors report two cases of elongated styloid process including the imaging findings, mainly obtained using computed tomography.

Keywords: Eagle's syndrome, Diagnosis, Computed tomography

The authors report two cases of gastrocolic fistula caused by chronic therapy with indometacin in patients with Bartter's syndrome followed at the outpatients clinic of "Instituto da Criança do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo", Brazil. The diagnosis was suggested by a barium meal that showed a gastrocolic fistula between the greater curvature of the stomach and the transverse colon. Treatment was surgical in the both cases.

Keywords: Bartter's syndrome, Gastrocolic fistula, Indometacin, Barium meal

Tracheobronchomegaly is a rare condition of uncertain etiology characterized by marked dilatation of the trachea and main bronchi, bronchiectasis and recurrent respiratory tract infections. Clinical presentation is nonspecific and the diagnosis is usually made by imaging methods. We report a case of a patient with tracheobronchomegaly. Diagnosis was confirmed by plain x-ray films and computed tomography of the chest.

Keywords: Tracheobronchomegaly, Mounier-Kuhn syndrome, Computed tomography

We report the radiographic findings in the long bones of a newborn with confirmed diagnosis of congenital syphilis and discuss the differential diagnosis with battered child syndrome. The radiographic findings in the long bones from birth to the fourth month of life are presented. Clinical and laboratory data, the serial x-ray films and the characteristic radiological signs were essential to establish the correct diagnosis.

Keywords: Congenital syphilis, Battered child syndrome, Bone fractures

Fibrolipomatous hamartoma of nerve and macrodystrophia lipomatosa are rare conditions that present characteristic imaging findings. The plain films, magnetic resonance imaging studies and medical records of four patients were reviewed. The lesion was resected in one patient allowing histological confirmation of the diagnosis. Diagnosis was based on imaging and clinical findings in three patients who had unavailable biopsy data. We describe two cases of isolated macrodystrophia lipomatosa, one case of fibrolipomatous hamartoma and one case where both conditions were found. In the macrodystrophia lipomatosa cases plain films demonstrated enlargement of osseous and soft tissue structures in the affected limbs, with fatty streaks interspersed along the muscle fibers. The median nerve was affected in the cases of fibrolipomatous hamartoma. Magnetic resonance imaging findings included nerve fascicle thickening characterized by low signal on both T1 and T2-weighted sequences, and surrounding fat, which appears as high signal on T1 and low signal on T2-weighted sequences with fat saturation. Both nerves had a "coaxial cable" appearance on axial images. The fibrolipomatous hamartoma extended to the nerve branches, which is a typical finding. The typical imaging findings of macrodystrophia lipomatosa and fibrolipomatous hamartoma of nerve, particularly at magnetic resonance imaging examination, allowed a reliable diagnosis of these frequently coexistent conditions.

Keywords: Macrodystrophia lipomatosa, Fibrolipomatous hamartoma, Magnetic resonance imaging, Peripheral nerve disease, Median nerve

The author reports the radiological findings in two siblings with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (mucopolysaccharide VI). Conventional radiographs of the skeleton and magnetic resonance imaging examination of the central nervous system were performed. Skeletal abnormalities in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI have already been well described by other authors and are generally similar to other mucopolysaccharides. Magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system may be helpful in the differential diagnosis, assessment of extension, and follow-up of these diseases.

Keywords: Mucopolysaccharidoses, Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, Gargoylism

The authors report a case of a 20-year-old patient with the following clinical features: a) complete rotation of the liver into the left upper quadrant; b) severe hypotension secondary to inferior vena cava compression; c) congenital malformation of falciform and coronary ligaments; d) obstruction of the transverse colon due to congenital peritoneal fibrotic bands; e) massive colonic dilatation in the right upper quadrant. The patient was treated by resection of the pericolonic bands, and during the operation the liver returned to its anatomic position, in the right upper abdomen. This unique condition, and the three other similar cases reported in the world literature are discussed.

Keywords: Hepatic torsion. Transverse colon. Obstructive band.

Short bowel syndrome is defined as the small bowel functional absorptive surface inability to provide adequate nutrition, leading to intestinal failure and chronic malnutrition. In adult individuals the main etiologies for short bowel syndrome are related to extensive or multiple surgical bowel resections secondary to mesenteric ischemia, Crohn’s disease and actinic enteritis. Besides evaluating the transit time through the large bowel, barium follow through may be utilized in the measurement of bowel remnants length as well as in the follow-up of structural adaptation phenomena of small bowel and colonic loops. In patients with short bowel syndrome, structural small bowel adaptation consists in hyperplasia of villi and mucosal folds, which become more numerous, deeper and larger in diameter, as well as remnant segment dilation. Such morphological findings are more prominent and best established in the ileal loops, whose remarkable adaptive capacity has been well documented. Therefore, the knowledge of imaging findings regarding morphological and adaptive characteristics of the small bowel is extremely relevant in the multidisciplinary approach to short bowel syndrome.

Keywords: Short bowel syndrome; Radiology; Adaptation.

The conus medullaris is frequently affected by inflammatory and infectious lesions which many times are hardly differentiated because of the similarity of their clinical history and physical examination among the different etiologies. Magnetic resonance imaging presents high sensitivity in the detection of these lesions and plays a relevant role in the diagnosis as well as in the evolutive control of the condition. The present pictorial essay with selected cases from the archives of the authors' institution is aimed at demonstrating imaging findings which might help in the diagnosis of a specific etiology amongst inflammatory an infectious conditions and in the differentiation with diseases of neoplastic and vascular etiologies, for example. Findings such as enhancement pattern, presence of cysts, edema and involvement of other regions of the central nervous system are important for this differentiation, and may define a specific etiology as associated with clinical and laboratory tests findings.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging; Myelitis; Transverse myelitis; Schistosomiasis.

The present report describes the case of a 43-year-old diabetic patient with facial pain, protruding eyes, nasal congestion and decreased right vision (involvement of the ipsilateral cranial nerves III, IV and V). Computed tomography showed diffuse sinusitis at right, cribriform plate erosion and presence of a hypodense collection in the frontal lobe with peripheral enhancement. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of a cerebral abscess. Samples were collected from the lesion, confirming hyphae compatible with mucormycosis.

Keywords: Syndrome; Cavernous sinus; Mucormycosis.

The present report is aimed at describing a rare case of cranial malformation - cloverleaf skull syndrome -, whose presence was noticed after the birth of a child with signs of abnormality. Imaging diagnosis methods such as computed tomography and conventional radiography were used to characterize the syndrome.

Keywords: Syndrome; Malformation; Computed tomography.

The authors report the case of a 55-year-old female, hypertensive, smoker patient presenting with dysphonia, dysphagia and persistent dry cough. Laryngoscopy diagnosed left vocal cord paralysis. Computed tomography demonstrated saccular aneurysm of the inferior wall of the aortic arch, stretching the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, a finding compatible with Ortner's syndrome.

Keywords: Ortner's syndrome; Aortic arch aneurysm; Recurrent laryngeal nerve; Dysphonia; Dry cough.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a sample of 200 healthy hospital workers, establishing the respective epidemiological associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred individuals were submitted to wrist ultrasonography to measure the median nerve area. They were questioned and examined for epidemiological data, body mass index, carpal tunnel syndrome signs and symptoms, and submitted to the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (BCTQ) to evaluate the carpal tunnel syndrome severity. A median nerve area > 9 mm² was considered to be diagnostic of carpal tunnel syndrome. RESULTS: Carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed by ultrasonography in 34% of the sample. It was observed the association of carpal tunnel syndrome with age (p < 0.0001), paresthesia (p < 0.0001), Tinel's test (p < 0.0001), Phalen's test (p < 0.0001), BCTQ score (p < 0.0001), and years of formal education (p < 0.0001). Years of formal education was the only variable identified as an independent risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (95% CI = 1.03 to 1.24). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a population of hospital workers was of 34%. The number of years of formal education was the only independent risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Ultrasonography; Median nerve area; Hand pain; Hand paresthesia.

In recent decades, high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) has revolutionized the morphological and structural evaluation of peripheral nerves and muscles, revealing details of the internal structure of the neural fascicles and muscle architecture. Applications range from diagnostics to interventional procedures. The anatomy of the forearm region is complex, with several muscles and an extensive network of vessels and nerves. To guarantee the success of the evaluation by HRUS, knowledge of the normal anatomy of the region is essential. The aim of these two companion articles is to present the normal anatomy of the nerves and compartments of the forearm, as revealed by HRUS, as well as the relationships between the main vessels and nerves of the region. Part 1 aims to review the overall structure of nerves, muscles and tendons, as seen on HRUS, and that of the forearm compartments. We present a practical approach, with general guidelines and tips on how best to perform the study. Part 2 is a pictorial essay about compartment vascularization and cutaneous innervation. Knowledge of the normal anatomy of the forearm improves the technical quality of the examinations, contributing to better diagnoses, as well as improving the performance and safety of interventional procedures.

Keywords: Ultrasonography/methods; Forearm/anatomy & histology; Radial nerve/anatomy & histology; Median nerve/anatomy & histology; Ulnar nerve/anatomy & histology.